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East-West Rail (EWR): Consultation updates [not speculation]

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camflyer

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I would like to propose the following totally sensible solution to everyone's problems. I call it the East-West InfiniLoop. Calls at Bedford, Cambridge and Milton Keynes without reversals. VERY resilient to operational incidents. Serves Cambourne.


If money was no object then I would totally support this. Maybe it could be done as "EWR 2".
 
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R

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We must be world leaders in producing glossy reports. Do people seriously think it will ever lead to a railway, apart from re-opening mothballed track. Not in most of our lifetimes for sure. And yet people talk about levels of service and stopping patterns.
 

Bletchleyite

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We must be world leaders in producing glossy reports. Do people seriously think it will ever lead to a railway, apart from re-opening mothballed track. Not in most of our lifetimes for sure. And yet people talk about levels of service and stopping patterns.

I reckon Bicester-MK and Aylesbury-MK will happen, I'm vastly less confident about the rest.
 

Railwaysceptic

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I have just read this report. How deeply depressing. Yet more reports and quite frankly Government froth and hot air.

Just get on and construct it.
If you read this report right the way through, you're a better man than I am. I gave up after about five pages of total flannel.
 

richieb1971

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Scanned through the pdf. Reads like justification report. Page 24 is the rail bit, which isn't much. £20m put aside for central section.
 

A0wen

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I would like to propose the following totally sensible solution to everyone's problems. I call it the East-West InfiniLoop. Calls at Bedford, Cambridge and Milton Keynes without reversals. VERY resilient to operational incidents. Serves Cambourne.


I assume you're not being serious - though with some posts around here it's difficult to tell.

On the basis you might be serious - can you explain how you deal with the gradient variations north of Wolverton and justify running a parallel line to the existing Bedford - Bletchley less than 10 miles away for no discernible purpose ? Your proposal probably doubles the cost of the EWR project.
 

jfowkes

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God yes, it's a joke. Short of putting googly eyes and a fake nose on it I'm not sure how much more obviously stupid I could have made that suggestion!
 

jfowkes

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Well it might be a universal law of nature that there is no line on a map that someone won't think is a good idea for a railway.
 

A0wen

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I thought it was pretty sensible actually.

As I say, with some of the more lunatic suggestions that get peddled around here that people take seriously, it really is difficult to tell.

My personal favourite is the endless peddling of either the Northampton - Bedford one - so you could have a circular Northampton - Bedford - MK service with an honourable mention to the cries to reinstate the Northampton - Peterboro line - which is ridiculous given EWR will be doing the same thing 20 miles south.....
 

philjo

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This week Cambridgeshire County Council’s economy and environment committee agreed to support the “Option A” proposals, which would see a route going via Bedford South, Sandy and Bassingbourn, as Cambridge County Council’s preferred option.
They also voted to confirm that the Council “agrees that the central section should enter Cambridge from the south”.

https://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/cambridge-news/call-new-station-cambridge-south-15975710

A new railway linking Cambridge with Milton Keynes and Oxford has taken a step forward, but there are urgent calls for a new station at Cambridge South to help make the scheme a reality.

In January, the East West Rail (EWR) Company launched a consultation on options for a new railway line between Bedford and Cambridge. The consultation looked at five potential routes, all of which link Bedford and Cambridge via Sandy.

“Phase one” of the western section between Oxford and Bicester opened in 2016. In 2017, the Government formed the East West Rail Company to accelerate the delivery of the scheme. The Company is currently undertaking the detailed planning and consents processes for the delivery of phase two of the western section between Bicester and Bedford, and is consulting on route options for the central section.

Today (March 14) Cambridgeshire County Council’s economy and environment committee endorsed proposals which would see a route going via Bedford South, Sandy and Bassingbourn, as the Council’s preferred option.

Committee members, however, heard fears the new line was being put in as a precursor to large new housing developments which, at the moment, would be unsustainable.

Cllr Sebastian Kindersley said East-West Rail’s intention is not only to build a new railroad, but to do so with the intention to put in new housing. He said the company has an eye on a 30,000 home development in Bassingbourn and potentially a 50,000 home “city” in Tempsford. Said these developments are outside the existing planning framework and are “premature and unwelcome”.

The committee also heard the link would put pressure on villages and would impact on local villages with “heavy diesel-hybrid trains” disrupting the area with noise and pollution.

There were also calls for the rail link to include places like Cambourne and St Neots.

Cllr Susan van de Ven, Melbourn and Bassingbourn County Councillor, said she supports a railway station in Cambourne, saying it would contribute to a “multi-modal corridor” along the A428 – complementing the road, rather than “competing” with it.
The committee approved the recommendations set out to them and confirmed the Council’s “strong support for the delivery of East West Rail central section”.

They also agreed to support the “Option A” proposals, which would see a route going via Bedford South, Sandy and Bassingbourn, as the Council’s preferred option.

They also voted to confirm that the Council “agrees that the central section should enter Cambridge from the south”.

As part of this, they agreed the “vital importance” of the early delivery of Cambridge South station and four tracking between Cambridge Station and the Shepreth Branch junction.

The committee also confirmed the Council’s “strong support for the development” and delivery of the East West Rail eastern section.
 

Bletchleyite

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Now how's about they all put a resolution in that it should be electrified from day one, rather than being less environmentally friendly than the electric coaches one would expect to be running the X5 by the time they get round to building it?
 

mr_jrt

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As I say, with some of the more lunatic suggestions that get peddled around here that people take seriously, it really is difficult to tell.

My personal favourite is the endless peddling of either the Northampton - Bedford one - so you could have a circular Northampton - Bedford - MK service with an honourable mention to the cries to reinstate the Northampton - Peterboro line - which is ridiculous given EWR will be doing the same thing 20 miles south.....

TBF, 20 miles is still a fair old way, especially when you don't have access to a car. What do you consider a reasonable catchment area for a regional NR station?
 

A0wen

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TBF, 20 miles is still a fair old way, especially when you don't have access to a car. What do you consider a reasonable catchment area for a regional NR station?

The point is that Northampton to Bletchley is 20 mins, Bletchley to Bedford under EWR is 30 mins tops. That's 50 mins. Bedford to Northampton would be 40 mins at best on the old alignment - that's why its a waste of time.

EWR will allow quick journeys between the WCML, MML and ECML. The only other link I can see any value in would be a south> east curve at Manton which would allow MML to Peterboro to happen, but I think EWR will render that pointless.
 

cle

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I think there is potential for Oakham and Stamford to MML, reasonable sized towns which might benefit from better service - and the connectivity that Peterborough brings overall. It's a pretty big place in itself, and EWR would improve it (via Sandy) but for a different E/W alignment, and more southerly alignment.
 

camflyer

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With the County Council going for route A it will be interesting to see which way South Cambs and Cambridge City councils go.

I expect the City Council to go for A too but South Cams is going to be harder to predict as their HQ is in Camborne.
 

richieb1971

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Bedford passengers that I've spoken to are all about BDM being on the route. Apparently everyone wants 1 station that does all. However, I doubt they want one station that is gridlocked, suffers delays, has no parking most of the time has TOC's that are fighting for supremacy.

With the County Council going for route A

Which county council?
 

si404

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Which county council?
Cambridgeshire, obviously. The internal context of South Cambs and Cambridge City councils ought to make that clear even if you don't realise that there's only one county council whose opinions are relevant to the central section route...

Plus this is a thread, a conversation, and so there's external context - Cambridgeshire County Council's position is described 6 posts above camflyer's in #2834, posted only about 7 hours before.

---

The interesting council is Central Beds - as it has more station options to choose from. Cambs just has Bassingbourn or Cambourne, Bedford just has Midland vs South, but Central Beds has Sandy (south) (option A), Sandy (north) (option B), Tempsford (options B or E), south of St Neots (options B or E), or Tempsford and existing Sandy (options C and D).
 

mr_jrt

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The point is that Northampton to Bletchley is 20 mins, Bletchley to Bedford under EWR is 30 mins tops. That's 50 mins. Bedford to Northampton would be 40 mins at best on the old alignment - that's why its a waste of time.

EWR will allow quick journeys between the WCML, MML and ECML. The only other link I can see any value in would be a south> east curve at Manton which would allow MML to Peterboro to happen, but I think EWR will render that pointless.
I was referring more to the value of having Northampton to Peterborough via Wellingborough as well as Bletchley to Sandy/Tempsford/St Neots.
 

muddythefish

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TBF, 20 miles is still a fair old way, especially when you don't have access to a car. What do you consider a reasonable catchment area for a regional NR station?

Agreed. EWR doesn't help the rapidly expanding population in the Nene valley that has to make do with the increasingly crowded A45. The Peterborough-Northampton line would surely be a candidate for reopening with a more enlightened national transport policy
 

swt_passenger

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The thing to get done first is get the central section - MKC - Bletchley (Fenny Statford) to Oxford up and running as soon as is possible...

get the track bed renewed , relaid, resignalled etc New stations such as at Winslow, newton longville etc can be installed within a couple of weekends with Modular systems available now.

The Hardest part for the Oxford Branch is at BY, where the Flyover is in need of some very urgent TLC to bring her back to full operational standards.

The LINE IS THERE, Screw the objectors, the railway was there 1st...whilst there is ballast on the route, steelwork still down , noone can object..simple...

just GET ON WITH IT or it will 2050 by the time you get one penny back in revenue to pay for it...
At the risk of seeming pedantic, you are writing about the “western section phase 2”, the length currently undergoing TWA procedures, which includes the line to Bedford.

The “central section” is the part where they are yet to establish a route, and this is only at a consultation stage.

As discussed previously, the TWA inquiry for this is mainly about local road and level crossing alterations and closures, mostly outside the existing railway boundary. If they could just reinstate the original railway without any safety upgrades then maybe there wouldn’t have been an inquiry.
 
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God yes, it's a joke. Short of putting googly eyes and a fake nose on it I'm not sure how much more obviously stupid I could have made that suggestion!
Major tea/screen interface moment :lol:
Well it might be a universal law of internet forums that there is no line on a map that someone with too much time on their hands and nowhere near enough grasp on economic practicality won't think is a good idea for a railway.
I don't think I've ever agreed more with a post on this forum, subject to my slight modifications... ;)
 
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